


Linger

by Luzula



Category: Wilby Wonderful
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Community: dsc6dsnippets, Gen, Ghosts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-15
Updated: 2013-07-15
Packaged: 2017-12-20 07:27:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/884593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luzula/pseuds/Luzula
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes it's too late for change. And sometimes it isn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Linger

**Author's Note:**

> Major character death in the story's past. For the prompt "ghost" (every fandom needs ghosts). Thanks to [](http://spuffyduds.dreamwidth.org/profile)[](http://spuffyduds.dreamwidth.org/)**spuffyduds** for the beta! Wow, this was hard to cut down to 300 words, but I'm glad I did. Also, I'm so happy to write Wilby fic again.

Sitting on the porch, Carol blew the smoke out in a long exhale. It joined the dusky summer night.

"Thought you were going to quit?" said Dan's familiar voice.

She didn't look to the side. If she didn't look, she wouldn't see the translucence in his form--it disturbed her, even after the months that had passed. "What's the use? I'll just start again."

"True, I guess."

Silence, while she took another drag at her cigarette.

Dan's death had weighted Carol down. It had been her fault, of course--if she hadn't--and for such a petty _reason_ \-- But Dan had shrugged in his diffident way and said that he was the one who'd hanged himself. That it was what he'd meant to do. It was only months later that he admitted he'd changed his mind at the last moment, when it was too late.

They sat there, side by side. If Buddy looked out, he'd see only her.

"So why'd you never get divorced?" she asked, continuing last night's conversation.

"It just--never came up?" Dan said. "Like, I knew that wasn't what a marriage was supposed to be like. But there was never a time when..." He made an inarticulate movement with his hands.

"Yeah."

"So how's it going? With Buddy?"

Logical next question. Carol sighed. "I don't know. I remember this time when we were in love. But I can't--I don't know how to find my way back to that, you know?"

"Yeah."

Funny, she'd barely known his name before, and now here she was telling him her marital problems.

"Look--I'm dead," Dan said softly. "But you're not. You can still change things."

She looked at him, then, looked him in the eyes. "Yeah, I know."

"I know," she repeated. It felt like a pledge. 


End file.
